CHARGING INDICATOR LIGHT CONTROL

Abstract

A vehicle system (105) comprising a processor (115) and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor (115) for: Determining a current location of a host vehicle (100); Detecting that the host vehicle (100) is connected to a charging station (150); Accessing a predetermined setting for activating a charging indicator light (125) associated with the current location; and Activating the charging indicator light (125) of the host vehicle (100) which, according to the predetermined setting for activating the charging indicator light (125), indicates that the host vehicle (100) is connected to a charging station (150), characterized in that that the vehicle system (105) comprises one or more sensors (110) to detect the location of the host vehicle (100).

Description

BACKGROUNDElectric vehicles have an electric drive motor which is powered by a battery. The battery must occasionally be charged. The battery may be charged by connecting the vehicle to a charging station. Electrical energy flows out of the charging station and into the vehicle.The publication DE 10 2009 059 862 A1 describes a control device or a vehicle system having a charging cable, wherein a display (LED lights) displays current information or, in a visual form, that a charging cable is connected to a charging station. This concerns, in particular, optimizing charging times as a function of the time of day and the grid rate. Further prior art relating to the background of the invention is described in publications DE 10 2012 004 874 A1 and DE 10 2014 218 778 A1.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 illustrates an example vehicle with a charge indicator lamp. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system incorporated into the vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 illustrates an example charging cord that may be used with the vehicle of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process that may be implemented by the system of FIG. 2.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONElectric vehicles use one or more indicators to communicate the state of charge of the battery. The indicators may be located on or in the vehicle. For example, a charging indicator light may be located at or near the charging port, which may include a plug for receiving a charging cable connected to the charging station. The charge indicator lamp may illuminate to indicate that the battery is charging when the charging cord is connected to the charging port.However, there may be times at which a vehicle owner wants to control whether and how long the charge indicator lamp lights up. For example, a lighted charge indicator light may be clearly visible at night, thus charging a principal to steal a valuable charging cord; thus, shutting down the charge indicator light may draw less attention to the vehicle. In another example, a non-illuminating charge indicator light may erroneously indicate that a host vehicle is ready to charge, and a holder of another electric vehicle may disconnect the charging cable from the host vehicle and begin to charge its electric vehicle, thus leaving the host vehicle with incomplete charge.The object is to control charging indicator lights depending on a specific environment. This object is achieved by a vehicle system according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 11.One way is to address this issue with a vehicle system that selectively actuates (i.e., illuminates) the charge indicator light based on the current location of the vehicle. The system includes predetermined settings that infinitely actuate the charge indicator light for a predetermined period of time when a portable device is within a predetermined distance or not at all. A vehicle occupant may select one of the settings for each new location and automatically apply the setting upon returning to the location. The system then operates the load indicator lamp according to the setting.FIG. 1 illustrates an example host vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 includes a system 105 for actuating a charge indicator light 125. As will be discussed in more detail below, the system 105 illuminates the charge indicator light 125 and displays the vehicle 100 connected to a charging station 150.Sensors 110 are used to detect whether the vehicle 100 is connected to the charging station 150, detect the location of the vehicle 100, etc. The sensors 110 may include various electronic devices that may provide such data. That is, the sensors 110 may be configured (e.g., programmed) to collect data that may be used to determine whether to actuate the charge indicator light 125. The sensors 110 may include, for example, a connection sensor that detects that a charging cord 140 is connected to a charging port 135, radar, LiDAR, a vision system, a lock detector, etc. One or more sensors 110 are integrated into a global positioning system (GPS) used to determine, e.g., the location of the vehicle 100.The charge indicator lamp 125 indicates that the vehicle 100 is connected to a charging station 150. The battery may be charged at a charging station 150. The charging station 150 may include a charging cord 140 connected to the battery and allowing current to flow into and charge the battery. The charge indicator lamp 125 may be a lamp that illuminates when the charging station 150 is connected to the vehicle 100. The charge indicator lamp 125 may be, for example, a light emitting diode, an incandescent lamp, a compact fluorescent lamp, etc. The charge indicator lamp 125 may selectively illuminate, e.g., according to a predetermined setting and / or a trigger signal, as will be discussed in more detail below.The settings for lighting the indicator lamp 125 may be, for example, a display setting, a charge setting, a timeout setting, a deactivation setting, or a proximity setting. The display setting instructs the processor 115 to illuminate the charge indicator lamp 125 indefinitely. The charge setting instructs the processor 115 to illuminate the charge indicator lamp 125 while the vehicle battery is charging. The timeout setting instructs the processor 115 to illuminate the charge indicator lamp 125 for a predetermined period of time. The processor 115 may prompt the occupant to determine the time period for the timeout setting. The deactivation setting instructs the processor 115 to turn off the charge indicator lamp 125. The proximity setting instructs the processor 115 to actuate and illuminate the charge indicator light 125 when a portable device is within a predetermined distance of the vehicle 100.The user interface 130 may include any number of electronic components that may present information to a vehicle occupant. In addition to presenting information, the user interface 130 may be programmed to receive user input, e.g., a selection of an option to operate the charge indicator light 125 according to a predetermined setting. In response to a user input, the user interface 130 may output a signal representative of the user input to a processor 115. The user interface 130 may be located in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 and, in some possible approaches, may include a touch-sensitive display screen.The vehicle 100 includes a charge port 135. The charging port 135 allows a charging station 150 to be electrically connected to the vehicle battery via a charging cable 140. The charging port 135 secures the charging cable 140 while the vehicle battery is charging. In the example of FIG. 1, the charging port 135 is proximate a front of the vehicle 100, but the charging port 135 may be located at any suitable location on the vehicle 100, e.g., a front fender, a rear fender, toward a rear of the vehicle 100, etc. The charging cable 140 may include, e.g., a flexible harness having an end connector that electrically connects the charging station 150 to a corresponding connector integrated with the charging port 135.The charging station 150 may be a stationary structure (e.g., separate from the vehicle 100) that provides electricity to the vehicle battery via the charging cable 140 connected to the charging port 135. The charging station 150 may include or receive electrical energy from a power source, such as an AC power source or a DC power source. In one possible approach, the charging station 150 may include a transformer and other circuit components to adjust the voltage, current, or both from the power source to be / can be applied to the vehicle battery. The charging station 150 may charge the vehicle battery wirelessly, alternatively or in addition to the charging cable 140.Although illustrated as a sedan, the vehicle 100 may include any passenger or commercial vehicle, such as a passenger car, truck, sport utility vehicle, taxi, bus, etc. In some possible approaches, the vehicle 100 is an autonomous vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous (e.g., sensorless) mode, a semi-autonomous mode, and / or a non-autonomous mode.FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system 105. The system 105 includes the sensors 110 as described above, a processor 115, the charge indicator light 125, and a user interface 130, e.g., a human-machine interface. The system 105 includes a bus 120 to communicatively connect the sensors 110, the processor 115, the charge indicator light 125, and the user interface 130.The processor 115 may include any number of electronic components programmed to receive and process the signals transmitted via the system 105. The processor 115 generally receives data from the sensor 110 and the user interface 130, and may be programmed to actuate the charge indicator light 125 according to one of a plurality of predetermined settings associated with the desired amount of illumination. The processor 115 may generate instructions to control the vehicle 100 according to the instructions.The processor 115 may be programmed to detect a distance of the charging cord 140 from the charging port 135. A sensor 110, e.g., a connection sensor 110, may detect a connection or disconnection of the vehicle 100 from the charging station 150, e.g., the distance of the charging cable 140 from the charging port 135, an interruption in the current from the charging station 150 to the battery, etc., and the processor 115 may use the information from the sensor to actuate subsystems of the vehicle based on the distance of the charging cable 140. For example, the processor 115 may deactivate the charge indicator light 125 when the connection sensor 110 detects removal of the charging cord 140, transmit a notification to the vehicle owner (e.g., via a smart phone, email, etc.) indicating that the charging cord 140 has been removed, and / or activate an alert subsystem of the vehicle when the connection sensor 110 detects that the charging cord 140 has been removed from the charging port 135.The bus 120 communicatively connects the sensors 110, the processor 115, the charge indicator light 125, and the user interface 130. Bus 120 sends and receives data throughout system 105; for example, it sends instructions from processor 115 to charge indicator light 125 to illuminate light 125. Bus 120 may be a controller area network (CAN) bus, as is known.FIG. 3 illustrates an example charging cord 140 connected to the charging port 135 in the vehicle 100. As described above, the charging cable 140 is connected to the charging port 135, and the charging indicator lamp 125 lights to indicate that the vehicle battery is charging. The charge indicator lamp 125 may illuminate according to any of the settings described below.The charging cable 140 may include a trigger 145. The trigger 145 is configured to output a trigger signal to one of the sensors 110 and / or the processor 115 upon actuation. The processor 115 illuminates the charge indicator lamp 125 upon receipt of the trigger signal. The charging cord 140 may include devices for securing the charging cord 140 to the charging port 135 and assisting a vehicle operator in charging the vehicle 100, e.g., a grab handle, latch, handle, etc.FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process 300 for actuating the charge indicator light 125, e.g., implemented by the processor 115. The process 300 begins in a block 305, where the processor 115 determines the location of the vehicle 100, e.g., with a sensor 110, such as a global positioning system sensor, etc.In a block 310, the processor 115 detects whether the vehicle 100 is connected to a charging station 150. The vehicle 100 may be connected to the charging station 150 via, for example, a charging cable 140 connected to the charging port 135 of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3.In a block 315, the processor 115 determines whether the system 105 has predetermined settings for actuating the indicator light 125 at the location. The settings may have been stored from a previous arrival at the location, from a display light profile downloaded from a network, etc. If the system 105 has predetermined settings, the process 300 continues in a block 330. Otherwise, the process 300 continues in a block 320. In some possible implementations, process 300 may prompt the user to decide whether to enter new settings. If so, the process 300 may proceed to block 320. If the user does not wish to apply new settings, the process 300 may proceed to block 330.In block 320, the processor 115 presents options to the vehicle occupant for actuating the charge indicator light 125 on the user interface 130. The options correspond to a particular setting for actuating the charge indicator light 125. The user interface 130 sends a user input associated with the selected option to the processor 115. As described above, the settings may be, for example, a display setting, a charge setting, a timeout setting, a deactivation setting, or a proximity setting. The display setting instructs the processor 115 to illuminate the charge indicator lamp 125 indefinitely. The charge setting instructs the processor 115 to illuminate the charge indicator lamp 125 while the vehicle battery is charging. The timeout setting instructs the processor 115 to illuminate the charge indicator lamp 125 for a predetermined period of time. The processor 115 may prompt the occupant to determine the time period for the timeout setting. The deactivation setting instructs the processor 115 to turn off the charge indicator lamp 125. The proximity setting instructs the processor 115 to actuate and illuminate the charge indicator light 125 when a portable device is within a predetermined distance of the vehicle 100. The portable device may be, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet, and / or a key fob.In a block 325, the processor 115 prompts the occupant to associate the setting input in the block 320 with the current location. Associating the setting allows the processor 115 to skip presenting options to the occupant when the vehicle 100 returns to the location. The prompt provides the occupant with the option of storing the setting for the current location, bypassing steps 320 and 325 for the current location, or not storing the setting and prompting the occupant for a new setting when the vehicle 100 returns to the current location. The processor 115 may be programmed to automatically associate the setting input at block 320 with the current location and prompt the occupant for confirmation to apply the setting for the location.In block 330, the processor 115 actuates the indicator light 125 according to the settings and the process 300 ends. When the setting is the display setting, the processor 115 operates the charge indicator lamp 125 until it receives an instruction from the occupant, e.g., the occupant removes a charging cord 140 from the vehicle 100. When the setting is the timeout setting, the processor 115 operates the charge indicator lamp 125 for the predetermined period of time. When the setting is the deactivation setting, the processor 115 deactivates the charge indicator lamp 125 until it receives an instruction from the occupant.In general, the described computing systems and / or devices may employ any of a number of computer operating systems, including, but not limited to, versions and / or varieties of the Ford Sync® application, the AppLink / Smart Device Link middleware, the Microsoft Automotive® operating system, the Microsoft Windows® operating system, the Unix operating system (e.g., the Solaris® operating system sold by Oracle Corporation of Redwood Shores, California, USA), the AIX UNIX operating system sold by International Business Machines of Armonk, New York, USA, The Linux operating system, the Mac OSX and iOS operating systems marketed by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, the BlackBerry OS marketed by Blackberry, Ltd. of Waterloo, Canada, and the Android operating system developed by Google, Inc. and the Open Handset Alliance, or the QNX® CAR platform for infotainment offered by QNX software systems. Examples of computing devices include, but are not limited to, an onboard vehicle computer, a computer workstation, a server, a desktop, laptop, or handheld computer, or other one(s) other computing system and / or device.Computing devices generally include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices such as those listed above. Computer-executable instructions may be compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using a variety of programming languages and / or technologies, including, without limitation, and either alone or in combination, Java™ C, C++, Visual Basic, Java Script, Perl, etc. Some of these applications may be compiled and executed on a virtual machine, such as the Java virtual machine, the Dalvik virtual machine, or the like. Generally, a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) receives instructions from, e.g., a memory, a computer readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions while performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored and transmitted using a variety of computer readable media.A computer readable medium (also referred to as a processor readable medium) includes any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) readable by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a medium may take many forms including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may include, for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes main memory. Such instructions may be transmitted using one or more transmission media including coaxial cables, copper wires, and fiber optics, including the wires comprising a system bus coupled to a processor of a computer. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a floppy disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, a DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a flash EEPROM, any other memory chip or card, or any other medium from which a computer can read.Databases, data containers, or other data stores described herein may include various types of mechanisms for storing and retrieving various types of data, including, but not limited to, a hierarchical database, a file set in a file system, an application database in a proprietary format, a relational database management system (RDBMS), etc. Each such data store is generally included in a data processing device employing a computer operating system such as one of those mentioned above, and is accessed via a network by any one or more of a variety of methods. A file system may be accessible from a computer operating system and may include files that may be stored in various formats. An RDBMS generally employs the Structured Query Language (SQL) in addition to a language for creating, storing, editing, and executing stored procedures, such as the PL / SQL language mentioned above.In some examples, system elements may be implemented as computer readable instructions (e.g., software) on one or more computing devices (e.g., servers, personal computers, etc.) stored on computer readable media associated therewith (e.g., disks, memories, etc.). A computer program product may include such instructions stored on a computer readable medium for performing the functions described herein.With respect to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring in a particular ordered sequence, such processes could also be performed with the described steps in an order different from the order described herein. Furthermore, it should be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, that other steps may be added, or that certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the present descriptions of processes are for the purpose of illustrating certain embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the claims in any way.Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent upon reading the description given above. The scope should be determined, not with reference to the description given above, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the technologies discussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. Taken together, it should be understood that the application is capable of modifications and variations.All terms used in the claims are intended to be understood in their usual meaning, as understood by those skilled in the art having extensive skills in the technologies described herein, unless expressly stated to the contrary herein. In particular, the use of articles in the singular, for example "a", "an", "the", "the" etc., is to be understood such that one or more of the mentioned elements could be meant unless a limitation to the contrary is explicitly mentioned in a claim.The adverb "substantially" that modifies an adjective, as used herein, means that a shape, structure, measure, value, calculation, etc. may vary from an exact described geometry, distance, measurement, value, calculation, etc., due to deficiencies in materials, machining, manufacturing, sensor measurements, calculations, processing time, communication time, etc.The Abstract is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is provided with the understanding that it is not used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that various features are incorporated in various embodiments for a more efficient design of the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be construed as reflecting the intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims show, the subject matter of the invention includes less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate claim subject matter.

Claims

A vehicle system (105) comprising a processor (115) and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor (115) for: determining a current location of a host vehicle (100); detecting that the host vehicle (100) is connected to a charging station (150); accessing a predetermined setting for actuating a charging indicator light (125) associated with the current location; and actuating the charging indicator light (125) of the host vehicle (100) indicating that the host vehicle (100) is connected to a charging station (150) according to the predetermined setting for actuating the charging indicator light (125), characterized in that the vehicle system (105) comprises one or more sensors (110) to detect the location of the host vehicle (100).The vehicle system (105) of claim 1, wherein the predetermined setting comprises at least one of: a display setting for infinitely lighting the charge indicator lamp (125) while the host vehicle (100) is connected to the charging station (150) at least while the host vehicle (100) is charging; a deactivation setting for letting the charge indicator lamp (125) off while the host vehicle (100) is connected to the charging station (150) at least while the host vehicle (100) is charging; and a timeout setting for lighting the charge indicator lamp (125) only for a predetermined period of time.The vehicle system (105) of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a user interface (130), and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for: presenting a selection of options for actuating the charge indicator light (125) via the user interface (130); receiving a user input associated with one of the selection options via the user interface (130); associating the predetermined setting with one of the selection options associated with the user interface (130); and associating the predetermined setting with the current location of the host vehicle (100).The vehicle system (105) of any of claims 2 to 3, wherein the timeout setting actuates the charge indicator light (125) for the predetermined period of time beginning when a vehicle occupant leaves or locks the host vehicle (100).The vehicle system (105) of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the predetermined settings further comprise a proximity setting for illuminating the charge indicator light (125) when a portable device is within a predetermined distance of the host vehicle (100).The vehicle system (105) of claim 5, wherein the portable device is a key fob, a tablet, or a cellular phone.The vehicle system (105) of any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a charging port (135) configured to be electrically connected to the charging station (150) via a charging cable (140).The vehicle system (105) of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the charging cable (140) comprises a trigger (145), wherein actuation of the trigger (145) outputs a trigger signal, and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for illuminating the indicator light in response to the trigger signal.The vehicle system (105) of any of claims 7 to 8, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for: detecting a removal of the charging cord (140) from the charging port (135); and transmitting a notification to a vehicle owner in response to detecting that the charging cord (140) has been removed from the charging port (135).The vehicle system (105) of claim 9, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to activate an alarm subsystem of the host vehicle (100) in response to detecting that the charging cord (140) has been removed from the charging port (135).A method comprising: determining a current location of a host vehicle (100); detecting that the host vehicle (100) is connected to a charging station (150); accessing a predetermined setting for actuating a charging indicator light (125) associated with the current location; and actuating the charging indicator light (125) of the host vehicle (100) indicating that the host vehicle (100) is connected to a charging station (150) according to the predetermined setting for actuating the charging indicator light (125), characterized in that the vehicle system (105) comprises one or more sensors (110) used to detect the location of the host vehicle (100).The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined setting comprises at least one of: a display setting for infinitely lighting the charge indicator lamp (125) while the host vehicle (100) is connected to the charging station (150) at least while the host vehicle (100) is charging; a deactivation setting for keeping the charge indicator lamp (125) off while the host vehicle (100) is connected to the charging station (150) at least while the host vehicle (100) is charging; and a timeout setting for lighting the charge indicator lamp (125) only for a predetermined period of time.The method of claim 11 or 12, further comprising a user interface (130), and comprising: presenting a selection of options for actuating the charge indicator light (125) via the user interface (130); receiving a user input associated with one of the selection options via the user interface (130); associating the predetermined setting with one of the selection options associated with the user interface (130); and associating the predetermined setting with the current location of the host vehicle (100).The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the timeout setting actuates the charge indicator light (125) for the predetermined period of time beginning when a vehicle occupant leaves or locks the host vehicle (100).The method of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the predetermined settings further comprise a proximity setting for illuminating the charge indicator light (125) when a portable device is within a predetermined distance of the host vehicle (100).The method of claim 15, wherein the portable device is a key fob, a tablet, or a mobile phone.The method of any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the host vehicle (100) comprises a charging port (135) configured to be electrically connected to the charging station (150) via a charging cable (140).The method of claim 17, wherein the charging cable (140) comprises a trigger (145), wherein actuating the trigger (145) outputs a trigger signal, and wherein the method further comprises illuminating the charge indicator light (125) in response to the trigger signal.The method of claim 17 or 18, further comprising: detecting a removal of the charging cable (140) from the charging port (135); and transmitting a notification to a vehicle owner in response to detecting that the charging cable (140) has been removed from the charging port (135).The method of claim 19, further comprising, in response to detecting that the charging cord (140) has been removed from the charging port (135), activating an alarm subsystem of the host vehicle (100).

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